Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair

vcheez · 09-05-2011, 02:13 AM

Yesterday I was cleaning my gutters and doing a basic roof inspection and noticed that the stucco is cracked around the base of my chimney. Some of the lead flashing has a hole in it. So water has run down along underneath the tiles and dripped under the eave. You can see drip stains down the left side of the chimney. I want to address this before winter so no water drips into the house at the same point.

If you haven't seen the photos yet, I have a Spanish tile roof.

I may call a roofer to fix it for me but it look like a fairly DIY job so I thought I would seek a little advice from the experts here at the forum.

My house is 84 years old. I don't know if the roof is that old but it is pretty old too I know there have been some repairs over the years but probably not any for the last 10 years.

I'm concerned about breaking the tiles when I walk on them. I weigh about 200lbs. I also want to get some ideas of how this should be repaired. There is a lot of debris on the house side of the chimney. I will need to clear all of this out.
I think this was designed so that the water wold run down the roof and then when it gets to the back of the chimney, it is routed around the sides to the getter. Should I use a pre-mixed stucco patch
to go over the cracked stucco? Should I extend the flashing higher up the base of the chimney?

See the crack at the base.

There is a small hole (1" diameter) in the lead flashing on the left side but you cant see it from this photo.

This is a view from the back side. I reached up around the chimney and took this photo without actually seeing what I was taking a picture of.

Any ideas or assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, VC

tinner666 · 09-05-2011, 10:30 AM

No counter-flashing was installed and the stucco was stuck directly to the roof flashing. You need to remove more stucco about an inch or so and install counter-flashing. It can be covered with stucco or left visible.

vcheez · 09-05-2011, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinner666

No counter-flashing was installed and the stucco was stuck directly to the roof flashing. You need to remove more stucco about an inch or so and install counter-flashing. It can be covered with stucco or left visible.

Thanks for the info. Does counter flashing go over the roof flashing? Or does it go under the roof flashing and in front of the stucco? Does the counter flashing need to be lead too or can I use some of the sheet metal available at Home Depot? Does the counter flashing need to be one continuous piece of metal or can it be sectioned. The chimney is 26" wide by 19.5" deep.

This looking like a job that may be best if it is completed by a pro but at least by me asking questions here, I will know what to tell the roofing repair guys what I need. Before I climb up there. I gotta find a resource for some replacement tiles. The brand of these tiles are GMB. Gladding Mc Bean. I don't think they are manufactured any more based on my research of the company website although the company is still in business selling a variety of clay products.
Here are a few photos so you can see what I'm working with.

14" x 10.5"

GMB

Approx 2.75" curve x 1.75" lip

Thanks in advance, VC

tinner666 · 09-05-2011, 08:30 PM

It goes over the roof flashing and behind/under the stucco.
Comical, but my best pic of it is before I did the repair work. You can see how they overlap though. The counterflashing normally reaches down to the roof. In your case, when the roof sagged, things broke. There is supposed to be play between chimneys and roofs.
And one pic of my work before the next piece gets installed.

vcheez · 09-06-2011, 01:26 AM

Thanks for the pics. I haven't seen to many slate roofs where I live. They are rare and only the really fancy houses have them. In your first photo, did the roof drop down a bit? Are they getting any leaking into the room beneath? In your second photo, is that copper flashing? Is it "L" shaped and tucked underneath the slate.

I'm going to call a local roofing supply house and get a few names of some local guys who can do my repair to see if it is worth it for me to have a pro do it. Since you are in the business, how much would you charge to repair the flashing around my chimney. I'm just trying to get a ball park figure so I know what to expect.

Thx, VC

tinner666 · 09-06-2011, 08:45 AM

The only leaks were at the bottom. Framing had shifted and caused structural damage. All fixed now.

"In your second photo, is that copper flashing? Is it "L" shaped and tucked underneath the slate." Yes and Yes.

"Since you are in the business, how much would you charge to repair the flashing around my chimney. I'm just trying to get a ball park figure so I know what to expect."

Looking at your photos. I nelieve I see some water stains on the soffit and exterior wall. If so, it would all need to be re-flashed and could cost as much as $3,200. to $3,600.

If not, and leaks aren't involved, the cost could be under $1,000.00.
Just plan for the worst and shoot for the best.

stuart45 · 09-06-2011, 02:39 PM

I like that copper flashing. I'm building an extension at home, and have just finished one side of the slate roof. I used lead for the L shaped flashings( we call them soakers). I would guess that copper is harder to work with, although I've never really used it.

vcheez · 09-06-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinner666

Looking at your photos. I nelieve I see some water stains on the soffit and exterior wall. If so, it would all need to be re-flashed and could cost as much as $3,200. to $3,600.

If not, and leaks aren't involved, the cost could be under $1,000.00.
Just plan for the worst and shoot for the best.

Well...everybody has to make a living. I can handle $1K but for $3.2K to $3.6K, I'll be eating rice and beans for the rest of the year.

I think the leak on the exterior has occured because there is a hole in the flashing directly inline with the stain on the left side of my chimney. When I first started thinking I would do this job myself, I figured I would just patch the hole in the flashing. As I began to research the problem further and reading your explanation that no counter flashing was installed, I started thinking that this may be out of my league.

I don't know much about roofs, but I think the hole in the flashing allowed the water to run underneath the tiles along the top of the roof paper and some how the water got on top of the soffit instead of into the gutter.

I'm going to get 2-3 bids so I'll let you know how much the quotes come in at.

Thanks for the help, VC

vcheez · 09-20-2011, 02:19 AM

So I got the work done plus some other potential problem areas for $650. I got 3 bids. They were as follows:

$1,600
$950
$500

I chose the $500 not only because his price was lowest but because he was the owner doing the work too. The other higher priced contractors had estimators walk the job.

I ended up paying the guy and additional $150 higher than the bid because it took him longer and he discovered some dry rot in two areas that needed replacing. I could have hammered him on the price but I wanted to take care of him because he did a good job and I want to keep him as a great resource. Below are a few photos of what he did:

Thanks for the assistance. This work would have been way out of my league but now I at least I know a little bit more about roof repairs. The true test of course will come in November when it starts raining again.

He cut away the stucco

Installed Counter Flashing

Painted it and made it look nice

Here is the back side

Surprise Dry Rot Cut Out

He added counter flashing to my other chimney before

Other chimney flashing primed

Other chimney completed, a few re-mortared ridge caps and painted old rusty vent

Removed and old vent

Patched the hole

tinner666 · 09-20-2011, 06:29 AM

Looks good except for one detail. On the left side of the chimney, where the upper and lower pieces of counter-flashing lap, am I seeing the top of the step flashing below the counter-flashing??? It looks like it in the photo. Not much lap on the right side either.

vcheez · 09-20-2011, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinner666

Looks good except for one detail.

Thanks for feedback tinner666. Are you referring to the 2 & 3 photos or my other chimney in photos 7 & 8? If these guys did it wrong? What do you think will happen?

tinner666 · 09-20-2011, 07:15 PM

I couldn't help but notice what might be a defect. The counter flashing is supposed to follow the roof-line at it's bottom edge. Here, somebody used the wrong size and it appears that the top of the step flashing is exposed.

It can leak.

soniapark · 11-09-2011, 02:01 PM

@VCHEEZ

Hello,

I just had a question..where did you get those GMB SPANISH S-TILEs??

vcheez · 11-10-2011, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soniapark

@VCHEEZ

Hello,

I just had a question..where did you get those GMB SPANISH S-TILEs??

There is a place here in San Jose, CA called Vintage Roof Tile. The guy has many of this style and so many more. He charged me $6 per tile. I bought about 20 and my roofer only needed a few so I have some spares for when I break them. They have a website. Just google it and you will see their site. Good Luck.

Michael Thomas · 11-10-2011, 12:47 PM

No way to tell based on the the supplied photos how much of the original flashing is still in place under the new counter flashing, or how well it was performed. Not saying it was done improperly, just that it's not possible to determine one way or another without pictures of the entire perimeter of the chimney after all the flashing repairs and before the counter flashings were installed and the tiles had been replaced.

09-05-2011, 02:13 AM	#1
vcheez Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 95	Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair Yesterday I was cleaning my gutters and doing a basic roof inspection and noticed that the stucco is cracked around the base of my chimney. Some of the lead flashing has a hole in it. So water has run down along underneath the tiles and dripped under the eave. You can see drip stains down the left side of the chimney. I want to address this before winter so no water drips into the house at the same point. If you haven't seen the photos yet, I have a Spanish tile roof. I may call a roofer to fix it for me but it look like a fairly DIY job so I thought I would seek a little advice from the experts here at the forum. My house is 84 years old. I don't know if the roof is that old but it is pretty old too I know there have been some repairs over the years but probably not any for the last 10 years. I'm concerned about breaking the tiles when I walk on them. I weigh about 200lbs. I also want to get some ideas of how this should be repaired. There is a lot of debris on the house side of the chimney. I will need to clear all of this out. I think this was designed so that the water wold run down the roof and then when it gets to the back of the chimney, it is routed around the sides to the getter. Should I use a pre-mixed stucco patch to go over the cracked stucco? Should I extend the flashing higher up the base of the chimney? See the crack at the base. There is a small hole (1" diameter) in the lead flashing on the left side but you cant see it from this photo. This is a view from the back side. I reached up around the chimney and took this photo without actually seeing what I was taking a picture of. Any ideas or assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, VC Last edited by vcheez; 09-05-2011 at 02:18 AM. Reason: Added explanation of photos

09-05-2011, 10:30 AM	#2
tinner666 Pro Slate Roofer Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richmond, Va. Posts: 1,427	Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair No counter-flashing was installed and the stucco was stuck directly to the roof flashing. You need to remove more stucco about an inch or so and install counter-flashing. It can be covered with stucco or left visible. __________________ Frank To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

09-05-2011, 08:30 PM	#4
tinner666 Pro Slate Roofer Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richmond, Va. Posts: 1,427	Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair It goes over the roof flashing and behind/under the stucco. Comical, but my best pic of it is before I did the repair work. You can see how they overlap though. The counterflashing normally reaches down to the roof. In your case, when the roof sagged, things broke. There is supposed to be play between chimneys and roofs. And one pic of my work before the next piece gets installed. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Frank To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

09-06-2011, 01:26 AM	#5
vcheez Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 95	Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair Thanks for the pics. I haven't seen to many slate roofs where I live. They are rare and only the really fancy houses have them. In your first photo, did the roof drop down a bit? Are they getting any leaking into the room beneath? In your second photo, is that copper flashing? Is it "L" shaped and tucked underneath the slate. I'm going to call a local roofing supply house and get a few names of some local guys who can do my repair to see if it is worth it for me to have a pro do it. Since you are in the business, how much would you charge to repair the flashing around my chimney. I'm just trying to get a ball park figure so I know what to expect. Thx, VC

09-06-2011, 08:45 AM	#6
tinner666 Pro Slate Roofer Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richmond, Va. Posts: 1,427	Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair The only leaks were at the bottom. Framing had shifted and caused structural damage. All fixed now. "In your second photo, is that copper flashing? Is it "L" shaped and tucked underneath the slate." Yes and Yes. "Since you are in the business, how much would you charge to repair the flashing around my chimney. I'm just trying to get a ball park figure so I know what to expect." Looking at your photos. I nelieve I see some water stains on the soffit and exterior wall. If so, it would all need to be re-flashed and could cost as much as $3,200. to $3,600. If not, and leaks aren't involved, the cost could be under $1,000.00. Just plan for the worst and shoot for the best. __________________ Frank To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Stucco and Flashing at Base of Chimney Need Repair